Colorado Trail Calling

Spring 2021. I got the text from Stephanie just as I was getting ready to plan my summer adventuring in my RV. It was a toss between the western mountain states or east to Florida.

“I was thinking about hiking the Colorado Trail aka CT. Would you be interested?” Steph sent me that April morning.

Meeting Stephanie

I “met” Stephanie and her wife, Kris, on Instagram. This was pre-rv for me and I was researching vanlife. Everything I found was coming up was some young, cute 20-something with perfect Photoshopped photos of her and her dog living the perfect life on the road. I couldn’t relate. I’m in my 40’s and not so young anymore (some say I’m cute, I’ll still run with that, lol). I was looking for somebody with some life experience under their belt that was living in a van. Then Steph and Kris popped up. They had cool photos of their life and adventures in their van, Kevin.

I was hooked on watching their stories and reading their posts. I started to reach out and they replied. Thus started an online friendship that would lead to Steph coming to visit me in the AZ desert come January 2020. We hiked Picacho Peak, had a blast riding bikes and hiked some more.

She must’ve enjoyed our hiking together because she asked me just a few months later to join her on a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail, an almost 500 mile/5 week journey on foot through the woods.

My immediate response was “YESSSS!” yet my partner, John, and I were looking to head east to Florida sometime soon so I had to run this idea past him.

So happens our Florida trip would be delayed for months due to personal reasons (nothing bad, just delayed) and the Colorado Trail was a go!

I was so excited to let Steph know I was all aboard!

When Does This Backpacking Adventure Begin?

Our thru-hike of the CT would start late June so I had time to hike A LOT from April to June and that I did. John and I headed to CA to hike near the beach and up on the sierras.

After CA we were Colorado bound where I would need to acclimate to the elevation – the Colorado Trail averages around 10,000 feet above sea level. At that elevation even the strongest athlete will struggle breathing.

I’d like to add here that the Colorado rest stops along highway 70 are the most amazing rest stops I’ve ever been to. Not only are they pretty but they have hiking/biking trailheads as well as paths for walking and biking. I was again in love with this amazing state. (I once visited CO as a child and loved it back then too!)

We hopped from rest stop to rest stop heading east along highway 70 hiking and biking our way into strong health and up in elevation. I was just about ready for the trek!

Then the big day came – to say adios to John and head into the woods with Steph and Candance.

Next time on AllieRambles…. I start my trek from Arizona to Colorado in my RV.